MINNEAPOLIS -- Moments after the Blue Jays’ season ended on Wednesday night at Target Field, the clubhouse doors swung open and the real world tiptoed in.
So much goes unsaid in these moments. An MLB clubhouse is a sacred place for those who call it home, and in an instant, it can be taken away. Players and coaches move around, some telling one another, “I love you, man,” while others share that last moment of eye contact and a nod.
They’ve spent every moment together since February. They know what that look says.
In the corner of the clubhouse on Wednesday was Brandon Belt, flanked by the empty lockers earned by a veteran. Thirteen seasons and two World Series rings earn you a little extra storage space. Belt is 35 now, a free agent after one season with the Blue Jays and facing an uncertain future.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Belt said after a 2-0 Game 2 loss. “This could be the end for me. I don’t know. I just don’t know yet. It’s something I need to talk to my family about and see what their thoughts are on it and see how I feel about it in a couple of months, then go from there.”
Belt took the time to speak to anyone who passed. He wrapped his arms around his teammates, thanked countless members of the Blue Jays’ training and clubhouse staffs, then took a deep breath and faced the cameras. Belt was brought in to be a veteran voice on a club looking to get over the hump, and while he performed well, Toronto is back in the same spot it was a year ago.
As a player, Belt’s Bingo card is nearly full. He’s experienced nearly everything a player could dream of in the big leagues. This season was a challenge at times, as he ramped up slowly through Spring Training and then dealt with some nagging back issues through the season.
Belt still thrived, his 19 home runs and .858 OPS a welcome addition to an offense that moved in the wrong direction. But it’s not about his performance at this point. He could walk into an MLB clubhouse next April in a pair of sandals, five minutes before first pitch, and go 2-for-4. This is about something bigger for Belt now.
“I’m very thankful to have won two World Series, an All-Star Game,” Belt said. “That’s pretty cool for me. I think the biggest part for me is that I was just hoping to make my family proud of me. When I look at my boys and see their smiles when I come off the field and when they get to come to the ballpark, that makes it all worth it for me.”
Belt brought an incredible energy to the Blue Jays’ clubhouse. Watch from a distance, and he may not look all that expressive. Lean in to listen, and you’ll meet one of baseball’s best characters, dripping with dry humor, one-liners and a love for his teammates.
“This year was definitely a fun one for me,” Belt said. “It’s not every year you get to play with a clubhouse that’s this close and a group of guys this great. It really was. I love every single guy in here. I enjoyed my time here. I enjoyed playing baseball in Toronto.”
This is what makes those final minutes in the clubhouse so unique. There are young players, so sure they’ll be back again, but watching change whirl around them. There are players on the fringes of a roster, never certain if they’ll know the big leagues and its luxuries again. Then, there are players like Kevin Kiermaier, Matt Chapman, or Jordan Hicks, all headed to free agency. There’s that reality, knocking again.
“It's hard,” said manager John Schneider, the emotion still showing on his face. “You never know when you're going to be together. And I think what people who don't play don't understand is what you go through every single day, good, bad or indifferent. And you get a unique opportunity every year to play with a group of guys.”
This group of guys, like those groups for 12 years prior in San Francisco, featured Brandon Belt.
If this is it for Belt, they’ve all been better groups for it.